Apply Within

Bob Davis: I know people on this planet—I've spoken with them, you know them too—who wish this whole Jesus thing would just die. They don't believe in Him. There is no God, there is no anything. He's dead; just leave Him dead. You can hear the hatred and almost jealousy in the arguments.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Apply Within, a verse-by-verse study of the Word of God with Pastor Bob Davis of North Country Chapel. We invite you to join with us as we, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, apply His Word within our own hearts as we study line upon line, precept upon precept, verse by verse through the Bible. Jesus teaches openly at the temple as our study of John continues in chapter 7, verse 10. Here's Pastor Bob.

Bob Davis: Jesus’s brothers—to give you a review—were mocking Him. They were making fun of Him; they didn't believe in Him, His four brothers. They were saying, “Hurry on down to the feast. You want everybody to know You're God. Go down there and do some miracles, but don't do them secretly. Make sure You’ve got big crowds. Nobody wants to hide themselves in a corner. Get out there. You’ve got to go down.” He said, “I'll go down when My Father tells me to go down. Your time is always ready.”

He lives His life differently than them. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it—right or wrong, who cares? They just do what they want to do. That's the world; that's what the world does. The lesson for me and the lesson for you, if we will hear it, is this: trust, pray, and obey the Lord.

Now we take up in verse 10, John 7: “When His brothers had gone—had left, gone up—then He went also to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” Now, I'm using 1611 Elizabethan English. Most of us don't use Shakespearean English anymore. When he says “secret,” we think something secret is mystical or weird. That's not what the word means. I'll show you in a moment.

Anyway, when His brothers were gone up, then He went also up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him—they were looking for Him—at the feast and said, “Where is He?” They couldn't see Him; He wasn't there. And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him, concerning Jesus. For some said, “He is a good man,” and others, “No, He's a liar. He's deceiving the people.”

Just like everybody's got an opinion, everybody back then had an opinion. They say, “I think that Jesus is a weasel. He's a liar. He's just there trying to make money.” That's what they say about all preachers. He was a preacher, and they're just in it for the money, right? Jesus’s brothers had already left to go to the feast. Jesus basically waited. Of course, His disciples are with Him, so they're waiting on Him. They'd say, “Are we going today, Lord?” He goes, “I'll let you know. Just relax.”

Jesus waited, and then in a bit, He headed down to Jerusalem to the feast as well. But the language is that He went quietly. In other words, when He went, He wasn't going to draw all kinds of attention to Himself. There was no red carpet where He would stand and everybody called, “Jesus! Jesus!” and they’d get different shots of Him and He'd turn around so they could shoot the back. No, that's not what Jesus did. He went in; He just kind of slipped on into town. Nobody even knew He was there.

Remember what we read in verse 1? Keep in mind when you read a chapter in the Bible, you can't just forget what you already read and make up this and make up that. Verse 1 gives you exactly what's going on. “After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for He would not walk among the Jews in Jewry because the Jews sought to kill Him.” Remember? They wanted Him dead. He did a miracle on the Sabbath, and that's breaking the Sabbath law, so they want to put Him to death for breaking the law.

Jesus knows that. We haven't forgotten that; that's just verse 1 of chapter 7. We're only in verse 10 and following. He knows they're looking to kill Him. The language means to put Him to death; they want to just grab Him and put Him to death. Now, Jesus said He came to die. Then why doesn't He want them to put Him to death? Because it's got to be God's timing, not the Jews. There is a time, and He says it a couple of times throughout the Gospels, “My hour is not yet come.”

There is a specific time that Jesus has to die. You know what it is because you've been reading your Bible. The Passover lamb is sacrificed right around three in the afternoon for the feast. So, we know when He's got to die. It's got to be on Passover; it's got to be around three in the afternoon. Guess when He will die? You guessed it. We see here the Jews—and remember, we saw it earlier already—the “Jews” is not just referring to every garden-variety Jewish person. The term is meant to be speaking about the spiritual leaders.

The spiritual leaders wanted to kill Jesus and were looking for Him. They're waiting for Him to show up, and they're asking around, “I haven't seen Him come in, have you?” Remember, He came in quietly, privately on purpose. He knows that they want to arrest Him. He knows it's not time yet. So, He just quietly comes in, and they're probably saying, “If you see Him, let me know. Has anybody seen Him? No, haven't seen Him. Well, He's got to come down here; all males are required. Where is He?”

They sought to kill Him. But we read a verse here so like today that we can't ignore it. Verse 12: “There was much murmuring among the people concerning Jesus.” But no man spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. So, you've got this little whisper campaign going through the crowds—murmuring, grumbling, complaining, arguing with each other, but trying to keep it at a low level so the Jewish leaders don't catch you.

The religious leaders wanted Jesus dead. I know people on this planet—I've spoken with them, you know them too—who wish this whole Jesus thing would just die. They don't believe in Him. There is no God, there is no anything. He's dead; just leave Him dead. You can hear the hatred and almost jealousy in the arguments. The religious leaders made it perfectly clear. They hated Jesus, and they wanted Him gone. We just don't want to deal with this guy anymore.

So, people did not dare say anything nice about Jesus where the holy men, the leaders, could hear it, or they'd be in trouble. Those guys had a problem. Those Bible scholars, those spiritual leaders—they had real issues, didn't they? They were wrong, and the only way they could prove themselves right is to kill anybody or shut everybody up who speaks anything that they don't like.

The Feast of Tabernacles is the feast they're celebrating, also called Feast of Booths, normally a seven-day feast. So, in the middle of the seven days, about three days in, Jesus began to teach up in the temple court area where people could go and listen. He's not afraid of the leaders. He's just waiting on the Lord God to show Him when to do what to do. So, there He is in the temple, the court area, teaching.

And the people, especially the leaders, listen to Jesus teach. It says they're amazed. At what? At His knowledge, His ability, and His knowledge of the Word of God. They're saying, “He's unlearned; He didn't go to school.” Jesus was taught at home. Of course He could read. He could write; He could do all those things. They're not saying He's ignorant. What they're saying is they're amazed at His ability and His knowledge and understanding and His wisdom of the Word of God.

Where did that come from? They know that He didn't go to rabbinical school, rabbi school. They know that He didn't go to Bible college. They know that He didn't go to seminary. They know He didn't go to any school of divinity. He just grew up in Nazareth. Where did He get this amazing capacity to teach the wisdom to help everybody, even the leaders, if they're willing to listen, understand the Word of God? Where did that come from? He's never went to school to do it.

I don't think anything has changed in the last 2,000 years, do you? The world complains. You hear complaints when they find a believer with no formal religious training that is able to preach the Word of God and teach the Word of God. People say, “How are you doing this? How come you understand this? Where did you learn this?” Jesus had no formal training. He never went to Bible college. Those men—those Pharisees and Sadducees and doctors of the law and scribes—they were all scholars that had gone to the greatest schools that Israel had to offer under some of the greatest teachers of the Bible.

And Jesus didn't, and they were amazed. Look at verse 16. Jesus answered—let me read verse 14. The Jews marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned, never studied at the universities or whatever?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.” His—He's referring to His Father in heaven. If any man, any woman, any individual will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.

If you really want to learn, God will teach you. You'll know. If any man or woman will do His will, is willing to surrender and listen and learn, they will know whether the doctrine that Jesus is speaking is of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaks of himself—in other words, he who is self-taught—seeks only his own glory. But he that seeks his glory that sent him—the Father's glory—the same is true and no unrighteousness is in him.

Think about it. God said there's a third way, everybody. Either you went to seminary or you are self-taught. Jesus said when you're self-taught, you're proud of it and you're all about you. If you're in seminary, you walk around a little bit with a thing that you've got gold-wrapped in and it's hanging on your wall or you carry it in your wallet: “Here's my card, here's my gift.” Jesus said nothing like that.

Jesus has an answer for their question. He's basically saying this—I'm paraphrasing—you're thinking of only two options. There is a third option here. Jesus says, “I am God-taught.” I pray every Christian could say the same thing. It's okay to go to Bible college. It's good; you can learn. But you have to be God-taught for it to be real in your heart and really there. God-taught. I pray every Christian can say the same thing. God's Holy Spirit has taught me and is teaching me. I pray you could say the same thing.

You know most now—most in America—seminaries and theological seminaries, most do not believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God anymore. So, where do you go to learn the Word of God anymore? There's a third option. Jesus is saying, “I'm God-taught.” I pray every Christian says the same thing. Listen to His words. This teaching is not mine. It comes directly from God Almighty in heaven. Jesus says He sent me to tell you. This doctrine, my doctrine, is not mine, but His that sent me. This doctrine comes straight from the throne room of God. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, comes straight from the throne room of God.

So, people will ask you—you'll say, “I've got a call on my life. I feel a call on my life to go to the mission field.” Well, what makes you a missionary? Did you go to school? No, I just God laid it on my heart. You know how many missionaries are out there? God laid it on their heart, like Hudson Taylor. Do you know how many that God put it on their hearts to just do this and they did it in faith, trusting? And somebody says, “What are your credentials?” Nothing. I have nothing. I don't even have two dollars.

Well, who put you in ministry? God did. Well, how's that possible? That means anybody could go into ministry! You got it. You finally got it. We're all ministers. Get it? You're just thinking there's only a few of us that are going to get in trouble. Everybody is. You’ve got the responsibility to tell people about Jesus Christ. You're a minister of the gospel. When you say, “Well, I don't know anything,” and you join the club with the rest of us and we begin to learn.

Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. How did they teach you to read? First, you had to sing that dopey song that's really “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” And what happened? Line upon line, precept upon precept. So, once you got ABCs down pretty good, and then you start to get the sounds of the letters, then you would take two letters and put them together and you started making words and started being able to read them.

And then you put three letters together. You were on a roll. Some of you got up to five letters like in first grade, and that throws me off. Smart people, right? That's how you learn to read. That's how you learn to write. That's how you learn your numbers, and then you can start to add them and subtract them. Really simple. Line upon line. That's how God's teaching you right now and me. That's how Jesus taught the people. He would even give them little illustrations—you call them parables; you can call them an illustration, whatever you want.

A sower went to sow some seed, and as he sowed, some of the seed fell upon the wayside and the birds came and took it away. Remember all that? And He's helping us line upon line, precept upon precept to grasp what heaven is all about. The teaching is not mine. It comes directly from my Father. I'm giving you the Father's Word. If an individual had only been to Bible college or seminary, or if he or she had been smart enough to teach himself or herself to be self-taught, then here's what Jesus says about that individual: that individual would be proud of themselves, promoting themselves.

Jesus says that's what—I'm not promoting Me. We can't promote us. We talk about Jesus Christ. He's the one we want people to meet. He's the one we want people to learn about. He's the one. We can use stories from our own lives; we can use situations from our lives; we can use situations from the lives of others, and we use church history and all. But remember, it's all about God, Jesus Christ, and the Lord God Almighty.

So, if you've only been to Bible college and you figure you're pretty smart, you’ve got that degree—okay, you're missing something. The individual will promote themselves, being impressed with their own knowledge or their own ability. But Jesus wasn't here. Think about it. He is telling them, “I'm not here to impress you about Me, to impress you with my amazing abilities.” How He can do miracles, He can raise the dead—that's not why He's doing anything. This is not for His own benefit; it's for everybody else's.

“Did Moses or did not Moses give you the law? And yet none of you are keeping the law.” Right now, He's telling them they're breaking the law. “Why go ye about to kill Me?” Notice He knows that the leaders want Him dead. He knows it. They haven't come out and exactly told the people yet, but Jesus knows their hearts and Jesus says it out loud: “Why you going about to kill Me?” Now the people answer and say, “You have a demon. Who's going about to kill You?”

That's amazing to me; that makes me laugh. Knowing that the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the doctors of the law, the Jewish leaders—knowing that they pride themselves in keeping the law of Moses, remember, they will tell you, “I do everything according to the law.” Jesus confronts them right there in front of the people. He says, “You don't keep the law. Moses gave you the law, and you don't keep the law. Why are you planning in your hearts to kill Me? The law says thou shalt not murder.”

In other words, He's got them. Why are you planning to kill Me? They pretend to be shocked. You know how we can be: “Who, me?” and they use an opportunity to insult Jesus, this opportunity to insult and mock. And the question is, “Who's thinking about killing You? If You think that, You're loony. There's something mentally wrong with You. If You think that, You’ve got a demon. You're demon-possessed.” They said that God Almighty in human flesh is demon-possessed.

Now listen to verse 21. Jesus answered and said to them, “I have done one work, and you all were amazed, you marveled. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision—not because it was of Moses, but of the fathers—and you on the Sabbath day circumcise the baby boy. If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcision that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry at Me because I have made a man every whit or every bit whole on the Sabbath day?”

“Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” He reminds the people and the religious leaders about six months—a little over six months ago—He healed that man who had been lame for 38 years. Remember that at the pool of Bethesda there? Right there, He healed that man. He got up and walked, and then He got in trouble, and they threatened Him because He healed on the Sabbath. “You can't heal on the Sabbath. That breaks the law of God.”

Jesus miraculously healed a man who had not walked in 38 years. That man stood up and walked away. He wasn't shaky, bouncy, falling down until He got it. He stood up and walked away. That's a miracle! And they decided then they should put Jesus to death because He did a healing, which they consider work, on the Sabbath day. And Jesus goes, “Makes no sense at all. The law of Moses, given to Moses by God from the mountain of God—it required the male child should be circumcised eight days after his birth.”

Remember that? So, if the eighth day fell on the Sabbath day, what do you do? To keep the law, it's the eighth day, he has to be circumcised, true? And He says, “You have no problem breaking the Sabbath law to keep another part of the law. You have no problem with it. But you're hypocrites.” So, Jesus’s point is very clear. If you can circumcise a child on the Sabbath day to do what's good in the sight of God, why would you find fault or have a problem with a man being healed on the Sabbath day? He's made whole. Why would you think that would bother God? In other words, you're hypocrites.

Verse 24: “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Their problem was—and we have the very same problem, so we might as well acknowledge it in our own hearts and let God take that out of here. Listen closely. They were judging according to what it looked like. They judged on the basis of what it seems like and not what it actually was about. And what does He say? He calls upon the people to make righteous judgments.

How can you and I and some of these Pharisees and Sadducees—how can we make the right judgment? How is that even possible? The only way we can make a righteous, correct, legitimate judgment is to know the whole story, true? To know the facts. Always. So, when He asks the question at the little church, He says, “Is it wrong to do good or evil on the Sabbath?” It's never right to do evil; it's always wrong. Get it? They should have been able to answer the question, and they couldn't.

The Pharisees want Him dead because they saw Him—or because He healed a man that couldn't walk after 38 years. Jesus said there was no breaking of any law. Doing good every day is a good day for that. We want to learn. We want to be God-taught. We want God's Holy Spirit to teach us. If you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you're going nowhere from here. It's not going to work. You can pretend to be a Christian, but you can never fake true love—the love that is agape love.

You can't pretend that. You can pretend everything else and fool people for a long time. Judas did. But if there's a life where the Holy Spirit is, there is love, the love of God. And I'm talking about 1 Corinthians 13. I'm not talking about how you feel at this time or that time, but love—what you do and you don't do because of the love of God Himself. If you don't know Jesus, if you've never surrendered to Jesus Christ, just take a moment and say, “Save me, Lord.”

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to Apply Within with Pastor Bob Davis. Apply Within is the radio outreach ministry of North Country Chapel. Our Sunday morning Bible studies are at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. We also have a Friday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM and a Monday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM. You can download today's message in its entirety at northcountrychapel.com/studies. That's northcountrychapel.com/studies.

If you would like a copy of today's message, write to us and ask for the message with today's date. The address is Apply Within, 2281 West Seltice, Post Falls, Idaho 83854. Or call us at 1-800-572-8851. That number again: 1-800-572-8851. And our mobile app is available for iPhone and Android. Download it to listen to full-length studies, watch the live stream of our services, or to find out more about church events.

If you have been blessed by the teaching or have prayer requests that you would like to share with us, write, email, or call us as well. Please join with us every Monday through Friday as we study together verse-by-verse on Apply Within, sponsored by North Country Chapel. God bless you.